This South-African vocal group, one of the best in its genre, dates from 1964, when Joseph Shabalala got the idea of forming his own group. ‘Ladysmith’ is the name of his native village, ‘black’, in this case, refers tot the power of the ox, and ‘mambazo’ is the Zulu word for ax. With their enthusiastic mix of African Zulu sounds and religious gospel music (Ladysmith Black Mambazo were the first to present this mix) they offer open, joyful messages with faith and trust as common denominators. The band recorded tens of records, performed in many TV-series, musicals and plays. They accompanied many artists, but made their name when they helped Paul Simon, with Graceland, to a world-hit. The group also did many performances on special occasions like the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the British Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.
